Obama's right, he has issued fewer executive orders than his predecessors, BUT...

What's in a name? President Obama has ruled more from his desk, without the consent of Congress, more than any other president, but liberals are right to point out that these are not "executive actions" and don't count against his tally compared to other presidents.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - By issuing his demands by "presidential memorandum" Obama keeps his executive order count low and he skirts the law. This renders many of his decisions legal and beyond challenge.

Laws are not just made by Congress. Laws are also made by various agencies under the executive branch. This happens all the time. For example, when the IRS wants to update certain rules, it simply implements the new rules which carry the force of law. No Congress or president is required.

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However, a president, just like the CEO of a major corporation, can issue a memorandum which includes certain directives which help to accomplish goals. A boss may issue a memorandum on how to dress in the office, or impose a new measure to control costs, and those rules carry weight in the office. Likewise, the president can direct the IRS or other federal agency to take action on a certain issue, and that memorandum has much the same effect.

The presidential memorandum provides a legal way for a president to rule in the face of a Congress that seeks to blockade his efforts.

Obama publically claims that he has issued fewer executive orders than his predecessors and so far, he is correct. He is issuing an average of 33 executive orders per year, which is fewer than the hundreds issued by Roosevelt, and Truman, 61 by Eisenhower, 75 by JFK, 63 by LBJ, Nixon 62, Ford, 69, Carter 80.

Regan averaged 48 per year, a sharp decline. George Bush continued the decline and issued just 42. Clinton 46, George W. Bush, 36, and finally Obama, 33.

These figures are according to "The American Presidency Project" from UC Santa Barbara.

The difference is that Obama is issuing a lot of executive memorandums which do essentially the same thing as an executive order, but don't count against his total.

So is Obama wielding his executive power more than previous presidents? The answer is likely yes.

Obama has already issued nearly 200 executive memorandums in six years. His closest competitor, George W. Bush, issued about 130 in eight years in office. If memorandums and executive orders are combined, then Obama is, in fact, the most "executive" executive we've ever had.

All of this is legal, but is it right? That is for the pundits to debate and you to decide. However, the American people deserve to know that while Obama is proud of his executive order record, he has another, less publicized record which counts just as much.

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